Making Memories

"Liz, this is going to be fun!""Where do you think we should put the pink ones, Ida?"

"Should we put them here?"

"No, I want them over there!"

"Over here?"

Well, another interesting day at the folks. Amanda decided to drop by for a visit. Her cute Aunt Lynne flew her up to Utah to absorb some BYU. WAY to go Lynne! Pam would be SO thrilled. She brought her planting gloves and set to work. Liz stopped by to see Amanda, and she was recruited to help. All in all, the plants ALL got planted. Please everyone, pray for sun, so they don't freeze, and we have to repeat the process. Be sure to notice in the pictures who it is that is giving directions and running the show.

Not this Time...

The update on Bill is that the potential donor is not a match. We are so grateful for his generous offer. Meanwhile, dialysis is working its magic!

Simply Adorable

This picture is just cute, cute, cute..........

Arizona Sunshine

Well, life just doesn't get any better. Good food, good sun, and the little ones. We had a fun weekend with Lindsay, Morgan, Max, and London. It was so fun to get away and soak up some sunshine. We so enjoyed our visit. Thanks, Lindsay and Morgan, for taking such good care of us. You are great hosts. See you soon!!

Happy Easter, Everyone

We love you all and missed having you at the hunt at Mom & Bill's. It was fun. Here are a few shots of the little ones hunting in Logan. (yeah, didn't get a good picture of anyone that day... except the eggs!)

Love that game...

Update on Bill

The testing on our friend has begun. We are not sure about the timing on any of the results. We only know that he has started the process. Keep a good thought and prayer for Bill. THANKS!

Life in the Slow Lane......

This is how Bill and I spend our time at church. After Sacrament Meeting, we get to go to the nursery. Me, by calling, and Bill because the kids love him so much. We only have about ten little kids that are too young to go to Primary. We mostly have play time, then snack time, and a very short lesson. We both really enjoy it. The kids looked so cute today all dressed up for Easter Sunday that I couldn't resist taking a few pictures. Hope all of you had a wonderful Easter Sunday.

Update on Bill

The update on Bill is that there is no news. His friend is still going to be tested. It just hasn't happened yet. There were some communication problems that caused a delay. The testing should be happening very soon. Meanwhile, Bill is feeling very well. He is doing great after dialysis. There have been no serious problems. We just have to watch his blood pressure. Thanks for your love and support everyone. Have a nice weekend!

Conference

I LOVE conference weekend. I heard so many things that I really needed to hear. My favorite from today was Presdent Uchtdorf. His message was filled with hope. Everything that he said spoke to my heart. Heavenly Father will never give up on us. Which talk was YOUR favorite??

Thanks for the flowers Isaac and Jonah!!

Annual Easter Egg Hunt

Our Easter Egg Hunt turned into a major talent show. All the kids were rockin' and rollin'. We used the fireplace for our stage. We had a great time. The weather held for us, and the kids got to play outside. Some of them got to hunt outside. Papa fixed some yummy hamburgers, and we had lots of other good food. Thanks everybody for coming. It was a lot of fun!!

UPDATE on BILL

Bill is doing much better. He had to have one of the attachments to his catheter fixed, and that was hard. It required an incision, but he is better today. His blood pressure is still a little high, but nothing like it was the day we went to the emergency room. He felt great after dialysis yesterday. We are still looking forward to April 9th testing and crossmatch. We won't know about the match that day, but we should know about the eligibility. Thanks for your good thoughts and prayers everyone!

Jenn's Tender Mercies

With tough times surrounding us, it is important (though sometimes forgotten or overlooked) to be reminded of our Savior and His love for us; that He is just as mindful of our struggles, our feelings, our pains as He is our joy, our happiness, and our blessings.

A few weeks ago in Sacrament meeting, it was feeling like the same ol' same ol' Sacrament meeting- we were trying to keep the kids quiet and content and the speakers were background noise (on occasion, I do catch a phrase or two of their talk). But inbetween the 2 speakers, there was a musical number, "I know that my Redeemer Lives" (Hymn #136). Now, this is a favorite hymn of mine. A piano/violin duet. (Before they began, the pianist asked the audience to grab the hymn book and read the words and to join in singing on the 4th verse.) I thought this might be a good opportunity to teach Kate what a violin is and what a beautiful sound it makes. Plus, I figured if she was on my lap, I would possibly be able to enjoy the song. I put her on my lap and quietly sang the words in her ear as they played the first three verses. Then, singing aloud during the fourth verse, I was overwhelmed by the spirit. Overwhelmed with feelings of the love of my Savior. I felt like, like He was proud of me. And the feeling stayed with me throughout the rest of the meetings.

After the block, as we were preparing dinner, I mentioned it to Codye. And I was so happy to discover that he had felt a similar feeling. He felt the spirit and it, too, remained with him as well.

I'm not sure if this counts as a "tender mercy" but, with our daily attempts to read the scriptures and have family prayer before bed, it's just so hard to, I suppose, be in a place where you can feel and recognize the spirit.

Another one: I was putting Kate down the other night, after a long day. She hadn't napped and was up waaaay too late. Later than usual, even for a day when she naps. We said our "personal prayers" and Kate looked at me and said, "We forgot to read our scriptures, mom."
Those words made me feel like we are doing the right thing, as parents. Reading to our kids. Getting them into the habit so that the days we struggle, they can remind us what is right. My heart glowed that night.

my tender mercies

these ladies.

music.

these girls.

this animal.

this kid. :)